Well, being Catholic, you could kindly mention some of the history of the Church.
Why is the Catholic church so special?
Because it was truly founded by Christ. It is His Church. Her pastors are successors of the Apostles by the laying on of hands.
Why do we have so many Christian churches then? Isn’t “catholic” just another denomination?
No. There is truly only one Church, which subsists in the Catholic Church. Other groups are Christian communities that have given themselves a name (denomination).
The first division - the Great Schism - was that of the Orthodox church. They remained united and very close to the Catholic Church. From 1962, they are “almost in full communion” with the Catholic Church.
The second division came with the Reform, in 1500.
This division, unlike the first one, was guided by a rebellious attitude that was
against the Church. It was not a theological disagreement: it was rejection of the Church.
For the previous 1500 years, the Church had carefully put together, translated, protected, and studied the Sacred Scriptures. In addition, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Church became our Teacher, guiding us in the path of the divine revelation, as She came to know more and more of those “many things” which the Lord still had (and has) to tell us, but that will only come through the Holy Spirit.
Something horrible happened in 1500 with the Reform.
The Magisterium - the teaching - of the Church, was rejected.
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone, shall be bruised: and upon whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
From that day on, that is, for the next 500 years, the Catholic Church has remained one, Her teachings have grown in health and perfection, and the house built on the rock did not fall.
But the others? Literally thousands of new Christian communities have been created. Each of them think that they can have their own rules, their own Bible translation (rejecting whatever books they want), their own teachings. They are still our brothers in Christ, but they “do not know what they are doing”. For it was our Lord’s will that we became “one flock with one shepherd”.
See, then? As a member of one of these communities, she has found out the distortion - perhaps even deception - that this particular community has brought upon the true teachings of Christ, upon the true Sacred Scriptures.
Why, then, not walk away from a distorted path and return within the Mother Church, the Catholic Church? To Her we owe the formation and protection of the Sacred Scriptures. In Her we find the Truth that Christ - Her head - has given Her. In Her we are under the custody of Peter, to whom the keys of the kingdom were given by Christ.
But above all, in the Church we find Christ Jesus in the Eucharist. In Communion we truly receive Him, become one with Him.
Why don’t you try and go over these historical facts with her? For it is not a crisis of faith, but a light from Jesus who wants to rejoice at her return into His Church. You may go with her to experience the rejoicing of a Sunday Holy Mass - though she may not partake of the Bread of Life just yet - and let the Lord Himself move her soul. You may experience with her a few minutes - or perhaps an entire hour - of adoration at the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, that she may experience in her heart the Real Presence of Jesus, who longs to give her an infinite love.
Pax Christi tecum!
